It seems like every week, the Rams miss more tackles than any coach would like to see. Last week against the 49ers, they failed to get Deebo Samuel on the ground, resulting in a 35-yard carry after the Rams thought he was ruled down.
Against the Bills, Devin Singletary made defenders miss consistently, helping him rack up 71 yards on only 13 carries. Tackling has been an issue throughout the season for L.A., and while a lack of physicality and preseason before the season can be used as an excuse to an extent, the Rams are past that point.
Through six weeks, they’ve missed 43 tackles, according to Pro Football Reference, which is right in the middle of the league – but still far too many for the Rams’ liking.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley knows the tackling hasn’t been good enough, and he has a fairly simple solution.
“We’ve got to be more aggressive, I think,” he said Thursday. “We certainly emphasize it, we drill it. I think we’ve had guys in position, so I don’t think it’s a schematic deal. I just think we’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive at the finish. I think that that mindset of really being physical on the finish, getting as many guys as we can to the football, so if a guy misses, we’re there for another physical finish, but I think we’ve just got to be more aggressive. I think at the beginning of that game, we were a little off and didn’t have the same energy that our entire team is capable of having, that we’ve displayed, and I think that it showed in that first half. But just I think being aggressive and playing with energy will fix a lot of those issues.”
The Rams got off to a slow start against the 49ers on Sunday, particularly on defense. They allowed 21 points in the first half before locking down in the second half, giving up just three points in the final 30 minutes of the game.
It was an uncharacteristic start for the Rams, who have been accustomed to grabbing an early lead and holding on in the second half. But Staley believes it goes back to the team’s energy when the game began. Starting fast and coming out with high energy will be an emphasis for L.A. this week, going up against the Bears on Monday night.
“We all have got to bring it when the lights go on and so I think that we’ve got to be tapped in. When you play a really good opponent, like we played last Sunday night, you’ve got to be tapped in from the beginning and I think that there is no margin for error when you play against great teams and I think that when we got off to that slow start, it could be traced back to the energy and we know that that’s a big component of getting off to a good start, is just coming out with the right energy, with the right mindset, not trying to feel your way at the beginning of the game. You make sure that you’re going to happen to the beginning of the game, not let the game happen to you. It will be a point of emphasis for sure this week.”
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